When Opposites Attract
by Allycat33
Summary: It's been nearly 6 months since Easter made an active movement towards the Embryo. Amu has been growing fairly used to their inactivity. But what will happen when Ikuto is unwillingly thrown into one of the most important parts of Easter's new plan?
1. Prologue

Hello, readers! . . . If there is anyone reading this, I mean.

Well, this is my first Shugo Chara! fan fic and also my first fan fic on . So I'm kind of excited and apprehensive at the same time. Excited because it's always exciting for me to start a new story. Apprehensive because I don't know if you, the reader, will like it. I hope you do!

So, let's just jump right into the story then. Here's the first part of it! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, do not own Shugo Chara! or any of the familiar characters, which makes me sad. Any characters that are unfamiliar, I do own, though, which makes me kind of happy. I would much rather own Ikuto, though. Sigh.

**When Opposites Attract**

Prologue

It was the end of summer and devastatingly hot. A 17-year-old boy was laying in the shade of a huge maple tree, asleep. He had dark blue hair, dark blue eyes, and a tall, lean but strong figure.

Curled up close to the boy's ear was a tiny creature, only a few inches tall. If the strangeness of the creature's size wasn't enough, he also had cat ears, a cat tail, and cat paws, all of which were covered with a soft, dark blue fur. He, like his owner, had dark blue hair, but instead of blue eyes, his were a piercing yellow.

The small creature appeared at first to be asleep as well, but at closer inspection, one would be able to notice his uneven breathing, scrunched closed eyes, and razor-sharp claws that were extended from his paws.

Finally, exasperated, the small creature shot into the air, then hovered near his owner's face.

". . . Hey, Ikuto?" he said loudly in a childish voice. His owner, Ikuto, didn't respond. "I – ku – to!" the creature said again, louder this time, while leaning closer to Ikuto's face. "Ikuto, wake up, nya!"

Finally, there was a response. Ikuto's face twitched, and then he slowly opened one of his eyes to stare knowingly at his shugo chara.

"Yoru," he said in a deep voice that betrayed no emotion. "If you want to play, the answer is no." With that, he closed his eye and tried unsuccessfully to go back to sleep.

"Ikuto!" Yoru exclaimed exasperatedly. "You aren't going to do it, are you, nya?" he queried, floating down to sit on Ikuto's chest.

Ikuto opened both of his eyes and stared at the green of the leaves above him. "No."

Yoru sighed and looked openly relieved. "Oh. 'Cause when you didn't say anything against their plan, I thought – "

Ikuto sat up abruptly, simultaneously displacing and interrupting Yoru. "Sorry, Yoru," he said in reply to Yoru's cries of indignation. Yoru quieted and floated up to settle onto Ikuto's shoulder. "But I said I understood, not that I agreed to help."

Yoru grinned mischievously at Ikuto's brilliance. "Well, good, nya!" He exclaimed, floating off of Ikuto's shoulder and back in front of his face. Grinning, he continued, "Now that the problem's solved, will you play with me, nya?"

---

Well, there it was! I hope you liked the prologue! I'll probably update once a week. Maybe twice if you readers are nice to me! LOL. That way my updates won't catch up to what I have written already.

Soooooo . . . more next week!


	2. Chapter One: Cool and Spicy

Hey, people!!! Hopefully the reason you've decided to keep reading is that you liked the story and not because you want to ridicule me for my awful writing!

Just a little heads up for this chapter and the next one: they were originally written in third person, and then I decided that some of the things I wanted to do sounded weird in third person, so I changed it. So if there are any parts where I accidentally reverted back to third person, let me know so I can change it.

Now that that's out of the way, here's the first chapter!!!!

P.S. Things that are in bold, are spoken in English.

Chapter 1: Cool and Spicy

"Amu-chan! Wake up!"

"You're gonna be late, desu!"

"Wake up, wake up, Amu-chan!"

"Five more minutes."

"You said that 10 minutes ago!"

"It's already 7:30, desu!"

"What?!" My eyes shot open to glare at the three small pink, blue, and green figures floating above my head. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?!" I demanded as I tumbled out of my bed, startling my three shugo charas.

"You wouldn't wake up!" the blue shugo chara, Miki, replied. She had short blue hair, blue eyes, a blue hat with a blue spade shape on it, blue shorts, and a blue bag. Her long-sleeved shirt was white and over it she had on a black vest.

"I'm gonna be so late!" I screeched as I tossed my pajamas onto the floor and struggled to get into my school uniform. "And on the first day back after summer vacation!"

Su, dressed in a green dress with a white apron, with blonde hair, a white handkerchief over it with a green clover accessory, and green eyes, tried to justify my sleeping in by saying, "Amu-chan, it's understandable that you were tired. You stayed up super late to finish your homework, desu."

"I know that, Su," I snapped. However, I instantly regretted it when I noticed Su's eyes tearing up. "I'm sorry," I sighed, bustling to the bathroom. My shugo charas floated along behind me.

"That's okay, desu," Su responded, smiling happily.

Meanwhile, in the background, Ran, dressed in a pink cheerleader's outfit with pink pom-poms, pink sneakers, and a pink visor with a large pink heart on it, was cheering loudly. "You can do it, Amu-chan! Fight!" Her pink eyes were lit up with laugher and her pink hair bounced as she did jumps, twirls, and flips in order to encourage me.

I sighed, doing my best to ignore the too-energetic Ran. Instead, I rushed into the bathroom, turning on the water and splashed my face with it.

I inhaled in surprise at how cold the water was, then spluttered, realizing I had just breathed in water. I coughed a few times in order to get my lungs free enough to breathe, then ignored to soreness of my nose.

"Amu-chan!" all three shugos exclaimed in worry.

"I'm fine. Could you help with my hair?" I responded quickly, holding up the brush for the girls.

They flitted over to take hold of the brush, then started to run it through my light pink hair.

I quickly applied toothpaste to my toothbrush and started to furiously scrub my teeth. While I did this with my right hand, my left was busy wiping the left-over water from my honey-colored eyes.

My charas and I finished our respective jobs at the same time and I quickly clipped two X-shaped barrettes into my hair on either side of my head.

"Su, could you make some toast for me?" I called as I thundered back to my room, grateful that my parents had already gone to take Ami, my little sister, to school (as only people who had shugo charas could see them, with the exception of little children, and the sight of toast magically making itself may have been enough to give my parents heart attacks).

"Of course, desu!" Su said happily. She loved anything that had to do with cooking. Su zoomed down to the first floor and into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Ran, Miki, and I were grabbing numerous books, notebooks, pencils, and papers and stuffing them into my bag.

"Amu-chan," Miki scolded. "Why didn't you pack your stuff up last night?"

"I would have, but I basically passed out after my homework was done." Suddenly, I froze. _Wait, _I thought. _Didn't I fall asleep at my desk last night? How did I end up back in my bed?_

"Amu-chan?" Ran asked. "Are you alright?"

"Y- yeah," I responded hesitantly. Then, I shook my head. _Wow, I really must have been out of it if I couldn't even remember how I got to bed._

Remembering that I was running extremely late, I yelled, "Miki, time report!" I snapped back into action, throwing the last of my things into my bag.

"7:45!"

"Wow, you got ready in 15 minutes, Amu-chan!" Ran reported unnecessarily, following me out into the hall, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. "That's not a bad time."

"Yeah, you just missed beating your 14-minute record time," Miki added, slightly teasing her frazzled owner.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, ignoring the slight. "Su, how's the toast coming?"

"It's done, desu!" Su replied, handing me two pieces of toast with strawberry jam one at a time.

"Thanks!" I mumbled, already having taken a bite of one of the pieces of toast. "Let's go!" I yelled, taking a bite of the other piece to even them out, then squishing them together to create a toasted jelly sandwich.

I ran to the front door, stuffed my feet into my shoes, and raced out of the house.

"How are we on time?"

"We have 10 minutes," Miki responded.

"RAN!"

"Got it!" Ran said happily, glad that she was so useful. "**Hop**!" Cute wing accessories appeared near my wrists as I continued to bolt toward my middle school. I took another large bite of toast. "**Step**!" The same accessories appeared near my ankles and I braced myself for what I know was coming next. "**Jump**!" I quickly bent my knees and leapt into the air, easily higher than any of the houses around me.

I shut my eyes momentarily, praying that no one was around to see me. But as I bounded quickly towards the school, I didn't know that someone _was_ around to see me: a silent, cat-like figure following behind me in his own graceful leaps.

I skidded to a halt in front of the door to my first-year star group classroom. I subconsciously smoothed my hair back into place, finished the last of my toast, and took a few seconds to catch my breath.

When I finally slid open the door, it was to my name being called for attendance.

"Hinamori Amu?" Nikaido-sensei was calling.

"Here," I said, out of breath, as I slid the door closed behind me and walked stiffly to my desk between Fujisaki Nagihiko and Mashiro Rima.

As I sat down in my desk, I heard whispers under the loud tone of Nikaido-sensei's attendance-taking. I rolled my eyes as I made out the phrase, "**Cool and Spicy**," that my classmates associated with me. Apparently, my lack-of-breath response had sounded indifferent.

I sighed and glanced over at Nagihiko, who was sitting quietly to my right. At the same time, Nagihiko glanced back at me, smiling sweetly.

I blushed and looked forward again. The fact that Nagihiko and my former best friend, Nadeshiko, weren't twins, as I had believed, but the same person still stunned me. I had learned that it was tradition for the boys in the Fujisaki family to be raised as girls for part of their training as Japanese dancers.

I sighed again, wishing that Nagihiko hadn't told me about his family's secret. I glanced back over at the cute, purple-haired, yellow-eyed boy. Things were so awkward! I felt like I couldn't talk to Nagihiko anymore, and I was even more embarrassed that I had openly discussed my love life with a boy posing as a girl. It was just too weird.

"Amu-chan?"

I looked up at Ran blankly.

"Are you all right?" The small girl had a look of concern on her face. "Are you feeling sick?"

I forced a smile on my face and shook my head. "I'm fine," I whispered so quietly it was nearly inaudible, even to myself.

Suddenly, I felt someone else's gaze on me. I looked to my left where Rima was staring at me with tears in her golden eyes. Instantly, I regretted the small exchange I'd had with Nagihiko.

_I'm sorry_, I mouthed quickly, hoping my jealous friend would forgive me. Instead, the tears multiplied, threatening to spill over. Flustered, I brought my hands together in front of my chest and gave the slightest bow I could manage, hoping that it would go unnoticed in my classroom.

Suddenly, a piece of paper slid onto my desk. It simply said, _They're fake tears_, in Nagihiko's elegant script. Amu turned and glared at Rima, who, knowing she had been found out, wiped the tears away and turned toward the front of the classroom so that her golden curls blocked her face.

Rima's shugo chara, Kusu Kusu, giggled from her perch on Rima's shoulder. Kusu Kusu had blonde hair, orange eyes, and a star on one cheek, a moon on the other. She wore an orange clown outfit with white polka dots and a matching hat.

I rolled my eyes and tried to concentrate on what Nikaido-sensei was saying, but couldn't. I still had the feeling that I was being watched.

Quickly, I scribbled _Is anyone looking at me?_ onto the backside of the note Nagihiko had sent to me. Then I pushed the note towards where my three shugo charas were sitting on my desk watching Miki draw in her sketchbook.

Su was the first to notice the note and she floated up lazily to peer around the room. She floated back down and shook her head. "No, Amu-chan. Why, desu?"

"Tell you later," I replied in a whisper.

For the rest of the day, I tried to ignore the prickling sensation at the back of my neck telling me that someone was watching me.

Finally, after what seemed like years, the last bell rang, dismissing the school for the day.

I jumped out of my desk, eager to go to the Guardian meeting. Though my friends and I, all of us former Guardians, weren't officially part of the group any more, we still regularly went to the meetings.

I enjoyed going, but it was mostly out of necessity. The new Guardians needed all the help they could get with fighting Easter, an evil company that would go to any means to get the Embryo. The Embryo was a magical egg that would grant any wish, whether good or bad. That was why it was crucial that the Guardians get the Embryo: if Easter got it, they would be able to wish for anything they wanted, whether it was World War III or to gain all of the world's wealth.

It didn't help that the only Guardian to be left in the elementary school was the spoiled, babyish Ace's chair, Yuiki Yaya. She certainly wasn't a leader.

And Yaya was definitely having difficulty trying to be a mentor to four people, all of whom were strong-willed, opinionated, and stubborn.

Yaya wasn't handling the situation well. She was used to being spoiled, cared for, and cute, none of which were good qualities for a mentor to have. As a result, Yaya had given birth to another shugo chara. She now had two: Pepe, who represented Yaya's babyish side, and Mami, who represented Yaya's responsible side.

I sighed impatiently, waiting for Rima and Nagihiko to pack their things.

"Amu-chan," Nagihiko started. "You can go without us today. Rima-chan and I have class duty."

I blinked. "You do?" I looked to Rima for confirmation.

"Yeah," Rima answered unhappily.

"Oh, well then I'll see you later!" I called as I rushed out of the classroom.

"Yay! Let's go, Amu-chan!" Ran cheered happily as she zoomed through the air next to me.

"You're in a bit of a hurry today," Miki observed. She was also flying next to me. Su, meanwhile, was clutching my black blazer in order to not be left behind. "Anxious to see someone?" she teased.

"N - not really," I replied, blushing and defensively slowing from a mad dash to a leisurely walk. "I'm just . . . looking forward to the meeting."

"Sure."

Just then, I heard a familiar voice call my name from behind. "Hinamori-san!"

I quickly turned to see a cute, blond boy with reddish eyes running toward me.

"Speak of the devil," Miki muttered.

"Tadase-kun!" I said, surprised, as Tadase caught up with Ran, Mike, Su, and me. Hotori Tadase was the former King's Chair in the Guardians and was my long-time crush. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to let you know that the Guardian meeting for today was cancelled."

"It was?" I asked blankly. Tadase nodded. Boy, did I feel out of the loop today. "Why?"

Tadase and I started walking down the hall together. "There's supposed to be a really bad storm later." I suddenly froze in my tracks. Tadase stopped a few feet in front of me. As he turned around to face me, he asked, "Hinamori-san? Are you all right?"

"Y- yeah," I lied. "I . . . just remembered that I have to . . . run some errands. I should get going," I said, running past Tadase. "See you tomorrow!" I called.

Within seconds, I was out of the school building and jogging down the street toward my house.

"Amu-chan!" Miki called from behind me. "Slow down!"

"Wait for us, desu!" Su cried.

All three shugo charas had been taken off guard when I had bolted away from Tadase and were now attempting to catch up to me.

"Sorry," I apologized as I slowly came to a halt. "I just really want to beat that storm." I looked up at the cloudy sky, grimacing.

"Why did you just run off Amu-chan?" Ran asked after she, Miki, and Su had caught up. "Tadase-kun might have walked you home." The other charas nodded their agreement.

I started toward my house again, but this time at a slightly-faster-than-normal walk. "I didn't want him to find out that I'm afraid of something as childish as thunder!" I cried in indignation.

"Lots of people are afraid of thunder, desu," Su reasoned.

"Only little kids are afraid of thunder," I retorted childishly. "It doesn't fit my character to have such an uncool fear."

Su dropped the subject, knowing that I was too stubborn to relinquish my opinion. Instead, she asked, "Amu-chan, why did you ask if someone was staring at you, desu?"

I explained about the ever-present feeling that I was being watched. I shivered when I realized that the feeling was still there. Was I being followed?

"You've had the feeling all day?" Miki queried, dumbfounded.

"Well, I didn't notice it when I woke up and was rushing to get to school, but I was a little . . . flustered then."

"That's scary, Amu-chan," Ran squeaked.

Suddenly, I stopped and whirled around. The prickling on the back of my neck had just multiplied by three. My wide eyes frantically searched for something, _anything_, that might be capable of producing such a strong feeling of being watched, but found nothing.

Then, without warning, I felt a soft hand sweep my hair off the back of my neck. Someone's warm breath tickled my skin and soon after, I felt a strange, wet sensation.

I shrieked and whirled back around, bringing my arm up to slap my harasser in the face.


	3. Chapter Two: Strange Dreams

Oh my God, you guys, I am so sorry. I know I said that I would update on Sunday, and I seriously meant to when I said it, but I have a really good reason as to why I couldn't. My dad got rid of the internet and my mom never had it, so I am now completely without the internet. I can only get on the internet at school or the library. So I'm not going to give any specific dates as to when I will update, but I swear it will be every week.

I would have updated yesterday, but my computer was being a buttmunch. I am so sorry.

Anyway, I'm at play practice right now. It's the only time I could get onto the internet yet this week.

So, I am now happily giving you chapter two. And I'm proud to say that Ikuto is in it. And there's quite a bit of Amuto.

You know what? Ikuto is really hard to keep in character.

But, without further ado, here is chapter two!!!!!

Chapter 2: Strange Dreams

My slap never connected with its target, however as my wrist was grabbed by a strong hand.

I clamped my eyes shut reflexively, preparing for whatever was coming next, but, surprisingly, nothing came.

Instead, I heard a familiar voice chirp, "Jumpy, isn't she, nya?"

"Yoru?!" I heard Miki cry in surprise.

_Yoru?_ I thought, confused. _But that would mean . . ._

I pried open my eyes, though all of my instincts screamed at me to keep them shut. The first thing I saw was the grey color of concrete. I was puzzled until I realized that I had subconsciously turned my face down in order to protect it. Slowly, I raised my face up to see familiar dark blue eyes staring back down at me.

My face flushed as I exclaimed, "Ikuto!"

The older boy's handsome face twisted into a cat-like smirk. "Hey, Amu," he said blithely, twisting his free hand in my hair.

My face grew even redder as I broke free of Ikuto's grip on my wrist. "Wh- what are you doing?"

Ikuto raised his eyebrows. "Hmm? Don't you like it?" he asked, still twirling my hair.

"That's not the point!" Furiously, I stepped out of Ikuto's reach and crossed my arms.

"So you _do_ like it," he concluded, smirking even more.

"N- no! Not one bit!" I yelled defensively, feeling my face turn even redder.

"Really?" Ikuto asked, smirking. "I think you do like it. I could do it again, if you want."

I blushed even more. "N – no way, you pervert!" I yelled at him.

Just then, Yoru flew between us clutching Miki's sketchbook, followed closely by Miki yelling, "Hey! Give that back!" Ran and Su came through a second later, Ran cheering Miki on. Caught off guard, I blinked and then started giggling. Ikuto seemed to be unfazed.

My laughter was cut off by a flash of lightening, followed by a sharp crack of thunder. I squeaked in surprise and threw myself at Ikuto who subconsciously wrapped his arms around me.

"Amu?" Ikuto asked blankly.

My eyes widened and I once again stepped away from Ikuto. "S – sorry," I mumbled as my face turned redder than a tomato.

Ikuto stared at me for a few minutes, and then sighed, "I guess I have no choice, then." He turned around and started to walk away, Yoru quickly following to sit on his shoulder.

Ran, Miki (who had succeeded in getting back her sketch book), and Su floated back to me, eager to get home.

I, however, was preoccupied. "Wait!" I called to Ikuto's retreating back. "Where are you going?"

Ikuto stopped and turned around to face me. Cocking his head to the side, he asked, "Eh? Isn't this the way to your house?"

I blinked again. "What?"

Ikuto's dark eyes pierced through me. "You're afraid of thunder, aren't you? Let's go before the rain hits us."

I crossed my arms and indignantly replied, "I'm not afraid of –. " I was interrupted by another untimely flash of lightening and loud crack of thunder. I shrieked and hurried to Ikuto's side, luckily refraining from throwing myself at him this time. Ikuto simply threw me a look that seemed to say, _Who are you kidding?_

The walk home was fairly uneventful. Thankfully, it started to rain only after Ikuto and I reached my house. I thanked Ikuto shyly for walking me home, hesitating at the front door. I wondered if I should invite Ikuto inside to get out of the rain, but when I turned around to ask, Ikuto was already gone.

I heard a small noise behind me coming from the balcony. I looked up from the book I was reading and glanced over at Ran, Miki, and Su's eggs. None of them appeared to have moved, and I could hear Miki's soft snores coming from her blue egg.

I glanced at the balcony, but didn't see anyone.

Hmm. It was probably just my imagination. I went back to reading my book. About a minute later, I heard the sound again. This time, I put my book down and walked out onto my balcony.

"Hello?" I asked, peering through the darkness. "Is someone there?"

I felt, rather than heard, someone drop off the roof, landing lightly behind me.

"Oh, Ikuto, it's just you," I said, relieved. I tried to turn around, but Ikuto wrapped his arms around my waist.

I sighed as he began to kiss my neck lightly. His lips worked their way up slowly, and my face flushed as Ikuto bit my ear softly.

I suppressed a moan and turned around in Ikuto's arms so that I was facing him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, looking deep into Ikuto's captivating eyes.

"Hi," I whispered.

"Hi."

Not being able to resist anymore, I stood up on my tip-toes and pulled Ikuto's face toward mine. I was met with no resistance and our lips met. My eyes closed and I automatically pressed my body closer to Ikuto, who deepened the kiss. I moaned and ran my hands through Ikuto's silky hair.

Ikuto picked me up easily without breaking contact. I wrapped my legs around his waist and moved my hands back down to his neck.

He started moving towards my room, but I broke contact to whisper, "No! I don't want to wake them up."

Ikuto, understanding that I was referring to Ran, Miki, and Su, replied, "Right. Sorry." Instead, he set me down on the balcony ledge.

I pulled Ikuto's face closer to mine again, but instead of meeting his lips, I began kissing Ikuto's neck the same way he had kissed mine earlier.

"Amu," Ikuto moaned, and I could tell he was biting his lower lip. I flushed with pleasure.

Finally, our lips met again. Ikuto's hands explored my body, while I ran my hands over the small hairs at the back of Ikuto's neck. Ikuto shivered and responded by coaxing open my mouth with his tongue. I eagerly let him, and my tongue explored his mouth, relishing his sweet taste.

Then, all too soon we broke apart, both of us breathing heavily.

Ikuto looked deep into my eyes and I saw all of Ikuto's love for me in his gaze. He smiled and whispered, "Happy 17th birthday, Amu. I love you."

I startled myself awake, sitting up and staring at my hands.

_What was that?!_ I thought, seriously freaked out. _Why was I dreaming about _Ikuto_? I loved _Tadase._ Not Ikuto! Tadase!_

_Still . . . Ikuto's arms around me had felt very nice yesterday. And - _

_No! Don't start!_

I groaned. What had been up with that 17th birthday business. Quickly, I glanced in the mirror above my dresser. I still _looked _like I was 12. But I felt the strangest need to be 17 right now.

_17? Isn't that how old Ikuto –_

_No! Stop!_

Thankfully, at that moment my mom, Midori, came into my room quietly. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck and she wore a light green shirt and jeans.

She stopped as her eyes, the same shade of yellow that mine were, landed on me sitting up.

"Oh, hun, you're awake!" Midori said as she bustled over to my side and placed her hand on my forehead. "Oh, you still have that fever."

What? Fever?

I looked over at my clock and saw that it was noon.

Noon! What was I still doing in bed?

"Mom! It's noon!" I exclaimed.

I tried to get out of bed, but Midori pushed me back down. "No, you aren't going anywhere with that fever!"

What was with all this fever business? "What fever?" I asked. "I feel absolutely fine, Mom!" Sure, I was still freaked out from that dream, but other than that, I was absolutely fine!

"When I got home from dropping off Ami-chan, you were still asleep and you were burning up," she explained, looking at me curiously. "You had a fever of 39.7°C (A/N: 103.5°F). It's gone down a bit, but it's still up there."

"Oh," I said, sinking back into my pillow.

Hmm. This was strange. I really did feel fine. Is it possible for dreams to make your face hot enough to feel like you had a fever? While you were still asleep?

Or maybe I really _was_ sick, and in my delirious, feverish state, my dreams had been influenced.

But that still didn't explain the need I felt to become older.

Suddenly, I felt something twitch by my leg. My eyes widened. No. It wasn't possible.

Midori looked at me. "Amu-chan? Are you alright?"

"Uh . . . no," I lied. "I'm feeling a little . . . uh . . . tired."

"Do you want me to get you anything?"

_Ugh. I wish she would leave_, I thought. Out loud, I answered, "No, Mom, I'm just gonna get some more sleep."

"Well, okay," Midori said slowly, as if I were gonna bring some guy into the room and start making out with him the minute she left. Please! Tadase was still and school and Ikuto was – well, who knew where he was.

Wait – why was I considering kissing Ikuto, anyway? And since when did I use the phrase "make out" instead of "kiss"?

I snapped myself back into reality. Midori was saying, "I've got to go run some errands, so I won't be around for a few hours. Call my cell if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay, Mom," I answered. _Now LEAVE!_

She did, saying, "Bye, hun," as she left the room.

I waited until I heard the front door close and a car pull away before I tossed off my covers. There, lying between my legs, just as I had known it would be, was another egg.

It was purple and had red lipstick prints on it. _Why do I have another egg?_ I thought. _I already have plenty to deal with!_

Ran, Miki, and Su floated over to me from where they'd been watching in their dollhouse. They all gasped when they saw the purple egg.

"Amu-chan, why do you have another egg?" Ran asked curiously, voicing my thoughts exactly.

"I don't know," I grumbled. "I must have another would-be self."

"Eh? Really?" Miki asked. "What spurred that?"

"I don't know," I repeated. "Probably this dream I had last night about Ik- . . . uh, I mean, someone."

Miki gasped. She was too smart. "You had a dream about Ikuto?!" she exclaimed.

"What?!" Ran and Su exclaimed.

Ugh! Why did I have to be so stupid?!

"What happened?" Miki asked.

"Um . . . nothing much," I said. Well, that was technically true. There wasn't a whole lot of variety in the dream. I continued to explain, saying, "Uh, Ikuto popped in for a visit in the middle of the night and . . . um," I cleared my throat, "Uh . . . we . . . kissed . . . a little bit . . ." I said, drifting off. Well, that was half true. We did kiss. Except it was for a while, not just "a little bit."

"_And_ . . .?" Miki prompted.

"And . . . uh . . . he said, 'Happy 17th birthday, Amu.' And . . . then he said . . . he loved me. And then I woke up."

Oh my God, this was the most embarrassing thing ever!

_Oh, well, I've basically just told them everything, so I might as well finish_, I thought. "And now I feel the uncontrollable need to be . . . uh . . . 17."

Miki, Ran, and Su were just staring at me blankly.

"But, it's alright," I said quickly, feeling the need to justify my dream. "I'm sure the dream was just fever-induced."

"Amu-chan," Su said slowly. "You don't have a fever, desu."

"What? Of course I do! My mom said - ."

"No, you don't, desu."

"You're much too energetic," Miki interjected.

"But, then why did I have a dream about Ikuto?" I asked Miki, getting frustrated.

"Eh? So you had a dream about me, Amu?" Ikuto's smug voice said from behind me. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

God, he was so like a stupid cat: always around when he wasn't wanted. I did not want to deal with him now.

Wait a minute. Why wasn't I embarrassed? I glanced at the mirror. I wasn't blushing! And . . . I had the same lipstick mark accessory in my hair that was on my new egg!

I'd done a character change?!

-

Well, there it was. How far into the dream did you realize that it was a dream? Tee hee. I feel evil.

But, anyway, I hope you liked it. Please review and let me know if there are any mistakes or anything.

I'll update next week sometime. I love you all for being so patient!


	4. Chapter Three: Kaoru

Hey, guys. I'm sorry that I'm upadating so late. I'll try to be better at updating regularly. It was just really hard to find any time this week.

So. Here is the next chapter. I didn't want this to happen so soon in my story, but what can I say? My characters have minds of their own!

By the way, I forgot to tell you guys, things in bold are said in English.

Well, here's chapter chapter 3. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Kaoru

I stood up to my full height and turned to face Ikuto. I placed my hands on my hips and leaned my weight onto my right foot.

For the first time in my life, I didn't feel like a child. I felt important, as if I had something to offer and I knew that only I could offer it – even if I didn't know what it was yet. I felt strangely over-confident and proud, as if nothing could hurt me.

And, so, I confronted Ikuto.

"You know what?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "I'm totally sick of you just popping up whenever you feel like it." I was vaguely aware of Ran, Miki, and Su hovering around me, trying to make me stop. I ignored them; I was just getting started. "And you always come at the worst times. It's like you have some freaky radar that knows when it would be most embarrassing to me for you to show up. Come on. What is that? What are you, a stalker?

"And then, after you bug me for a while, you just leave!" Strangely enough, I didn't sound very mad, even though I was. My voice was very calm and quiet. "Just, like, poof! And you're gone. Even if I still have stuff to say to you. You just leave! It's so selfish and, like, mean!

"Well," I continued. "Here's something you should know about me, Ikuto," I said, narrowing my eyes dangerously. "I don't like being toyed with. So, if you're just using me as a plaything, you can forget about being friends with me! I'd rather be your enemy than just something you play with when you're bored!" I finished, my face flushed with anger.

Suddenly, all of the confidence left my body. My face grew even redder, but this time it was from embarrassment. However, instead of turning away in shame, as I would have just yesterday, I softened my gaze on Ikuto, who was staring at me in bewilderment.

"I . . . I'm sorry," I apologized. But I only half-meant it. I actually felt all of those things. I had merely suppressed them for about two years.

It felt good to finally get them off my chest.

Ikuto snapped out of his reverie after hearing my apology. "No. _I'm_ sorry," he said.

I stared at him. Ikuto was apologizing to _me_? _Ikuto_ was apologizing to me? The fact that Ikuto was apologizing at all made my head spin. This arrogant cat was actually admitting he had done something wrong?

"Amu," Ikuto continued, looking into my eyes. Wait. Was he . . . ? He was! Ikuto was blushing! "I - ."

Ikuto was interrupted by a small crack from behind me. I looked back at my new purple egg. It was hatching!

Suddenly, the egg broke in half and out popped a small girl. She had straight purple hair that went to her shoulders. Her hair had an appealing gleam to it. Clipped in her hair was a lipstick print clip that matched the ones on her egg. She had on a stylish purple dress and black leggings with flats.

Her purple eyes glittered as she squealed, "Hi! I'm Kaoru!" Kaoru flew over to me. "Hey! You're Amu-chan, right?" she asked, although it sounded almost like a statement, rather than a question.

"Y – yeah," I answered hesitantly. I was surprised. My new shugo chara was so . . . bubbly.

"Nice to meet you! Oh!" Kaoru had spotted Ikuto. She floated over to him and studied him. "Is he your boyfriend?" she asked. Then, continuing without waiting for an answer, she stated, "He's hot! I approve!"

"What?! Wait just a second!" I screeched.

Ikuto, unable to resist, smirked at Kaoru's compliment. "Well, Amu," he said, still smirking. "You're obviously busy. I'll see you around." And with that, he strode out to the balcony and calmly jumped off.

"Wait!" I yelled, quickly following him. But when I looked down at the street below my balcony, I didn't see him. "Stupid cat," I grumbled.

I stomped back into my room where Kaoru was busy exploring. I glanced around, searching for my other shugo charas. They were sitting in their eggs, watching Kaoru, stunned at how completely different she was from me. I was stunned, too. _What desire had Kaoru been birthed from?_ I wondered. Then I remembered the need I'd had to be 17. Obviously, that was what had triggered Kaoru's birth.

Curiously, I watched Kaoru as she explored my room. She was very . . . excitable. Everything she saw, she loved, from my "cute" pillows to my "cute" handwriting on the "cute" homework I'd left on my "cute" desk.

I was shocked. Was this really how a 17-year-old girl acted? Kaoru was happy, energetic, and talkative. And she was so immature: she was loud, animated, bouncy, and giggled . . . a lot. Stunned, I realized that she acted just like 12-year-old girls did – girls that were me age.

Finally, Kaoru stumbled upon Ran, Miki, and Su. "There you are!" she exclaimed happily. "I was wondering where you were!" Suddenly, her face fell and tears built up in her eyes. "Why didn't you say 'Hi'?" she asked. "Do you not like me?" She buried her face in her hands.

I was taken aback by the sudden mood swing. What had happened to the happy, bouncy, peppy girl Kaoru had been only a mere second before?

Ran, Miki, and Su were surprised, as well. They flew out of their eggs and immediately glomped onto Kaoru.

"Of course we like you, desu!" Su exclaimed.

Kaoru looked up. "Really?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Ran asked.

"Well, then why didn't you say 'Hi' to me?" Kaoru sniffled pathetically.

"We didn't wanna overwhelm you," Ran explained. "We know what it's like to be surrounded by weird things!"

"It can be really scary at first," Miki said.

"That's right, desu," Su continued. "We thought it would be easier for you to get used to how big everything is first, desu."

Kaoru silently looked at them for a few seconds before a large smile crept onto her face. "That's so thoughtful!" she squealed, hugging them tightly.

I simply stared at Kaoru as Ran, Miki, and Su introduced themselves, not knowing what else to do. _What is up with her?_ I asked myself. _First, she's all happy, then one minute later, she's almost crying and then she's all smiley again?_ I sighed, knowing Kaoru's mood swings were going to drive me insane.

I left for school early the next day. Kaoru had made it very difficult for me to sleep when she started using my pillow as a trampoline and "accidentally" landed on my head "a few times" (13 to be exact).

And then, while I was eating breakfast (actually in my house, for once), Midori nearly had a heart attack when Kaoru started to play with Midori's hair because it was "so pretty and soft."

So, I asked Miki to stay home to talk to Kaoru about how to act around humans, as Miki was the most sensible of my shugo charas. I told Miki that she and Kaoru could come to school later, but only if Kaoru understood and swore "to keep her hands to herself."

While I was walking to school, I became very aware of the fact that I was still being watched. Shivering, I realized that the feeling had been there the entire day yesterday and the day before. I glanced over my shoulder, but didn't see anyone.

Shivering again, I sped up which led me to reach the school at the same time as Rima.

"Hey, Rima!" I called as I ran to catch up to her.

Rima stopped and turned, a surprised look on her face. "Amu!" she said, smiling slightly. "Why are you here so early?"

"I'll explain later," I said after catching my breath. "What'd I miss yesterday?"

"Nothing much," Rima ansered as we walked into the school. "We started reviewing fractions in math."

"Great," I said sarcastically. "I just _love_ fractions."

As I was saying this, Rima suddenly stopped walking. "Eh? Rima?" I said, turning to look at her. She was staring at the ground, blushing profusely and fidgeting with her hands. "What's wrong?"

"Ah! Amu-chan!" I heard someone call behind me. I turned to see Nagihiko heading towards us. "Good morning!"

I smiled and responded, "Good morning, Nagihiko."

"Are you feeling better?" Nagihiko asked me as he reached us.

"Uh . . . yeah," I answered, deciding that it would be easier to pretend I was sick instead of explaining about the "fever." It would also be much less embarrassing.

"That's good," he said, smiling at me.

His eyes slid to Rima and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. "Good morning, Rima-chan," he said softly. Rima didn't respond. "Um," Nagihiko persisted. "About what happened the other day . . . I – I'm sorry." Nagihiko paused, waiting for the silent Rima to say something. She didn't. "Well, let's just . . . forget it ever happened," he finished, smiling sadly. "Well . . . see you later." And with that, he ran off.

I stared after Nagihiko, thoroughly confused. I shifted my gaze to Rima, who was still blushing, but was now staring in the direction Nagihiko had gone. Then, without warning, Rima started running, not towards the school, but towards the observatory. Stunned, I stared after her for a few seconds, then broke into a run after her.

"Rima!" I called. I caught up to her easily and grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Rima, what happened between you and Nagihiko?"

Kusu Kusu floated out of Rima's backpack and was immediately converged upon by Ran and Su. They pulled Kusu Kusu aside, asking what happened.

"Rima?" I repeated. Rima turned and I was shocked to see tears in her eyes. "Rima, what's wrong?"

Rima sniffled. "Nagihiko kissed me," she said quietly.

I stared at Rima blankly. "He what?"

"Kissed me," Rima repeated sadly.

Not sure how to respond, I settled for staring questioningly at Rima.

Understanding the question in my gaze, Rima began to explain. "We were cleaning up the classroom on Monday. I tripped and he caught me. We must have stared at each other for about five minutes and then, the next thing I knew, he was kissing me."

Stunned, I blurted out the first question that came to mind. "Did you kiss him back?"

Rima blushed furiously and looked away. "Well . . . yeah," she admitted. "But I was caught off guard and . . . I guess my instincts took over . . . ." I nodded, dazed. "But then," Rima continued, "I sort of came to my senses and pulled back and ran home. I avoided him all day yesterday. I was just so embarrassed."

"Well," I reasoned, "If you hated the kiss that much, why are you crying about it?"

"Th – that's the thing!" Rima spluttered as her tears started to spill over. "I didn't hate it! I liked it!" she exclaimed hysterically. "And I . . . I think I love _him_!"

She collapsed to the ground and started sobbing. I dropped next to her and hesitantly wrapped my arms around her, not knowing what to say.

I sighed internally. _Where's Kaoru when you need her?_ I thought sulkily.

"Amu-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!" I heard a high-pitched voice call. I turned my head towards the approaching voice just in time for it to collide with my face. "Did you miss me?"

"K – Kaoru!" I exclaimed, leaping to my feet. "I c – can't breathe!"

Kaoru immediately released me, grinning broadly. "Sorry!" she said dismissively.

I looked for Miki and spotted her flying toward us, breathing heavily. "Geez, Kaoru!" Miki scolded. "You couldn't slow down?"

"Sorry, Miki-chan!" Kaoru exclaimed. "But I missed Amu-chan!" She twirled happily in midair, then caught sight of Rima. "Hi!" Kaoru said floating over to her. "I'm Kaoru! Oh!" Kaoru had noticed the tears on Rima's cheeks and a look of concern swept onto her features. "What's wrong?"

"Kaoru," I growled, grabbing her. "No!" I turned to apologize to Rima. "Sorry. She's another one of my shugo charas," I explained. "She was just born yesterday and she doesn't really understand boundaries yet." I glared at Kaoru.

Rima had a shocked look on her face. "You have . . . _five_ now?" she asked.

"Uh . . . I guess," I answered sheepishly. "Ran, Miki, Su, Dia, and, now, Kaoru." I let go of Kaoru and she and Miki floated over to Kusu Kusu, Ran, and Su, who were chatting happily.

"Anyway," I said. "What are you going to do about Nagihiko?"

At the mention of a boy's name, Kaoru stopped and zoomed back toward us. "Boy trouble, huh?" she asked knowledgably. "Leave it to me. What happened?"

I rolled my eyes. "Is that you only use? Dealing with boys?"I asked, annoyed by Kaoru's know-it-all attitude toward the subject.

Kaoru looked at me as if I were stupid. "Of course!" she explained. "I'm supposed to act like an average 17-year-old girl. Didn't you know that everything a 17-year-old thinks about revolves around boys?" She crossed her arms. "Their thoughts may not start that way, but, eventually, they always tie into boys.

"Now," she said, turning to Rima. "What's the problem?" Kaoru listened patiently as Rima as she explained her situation. "The answer is obvious," Kaoru said expertly, after Rima had finished.

Rima blinked. "It is?" she asked blankly.

"Of course! All you need to do is confess your love!"

-

Oh, I love cliffhangers. But only when I'm giving them. I don't like reading a fic with a cliffhanger. Then it's cruel. But giving cliffhangers is fun!

So, I hope you enjoyed this chappie. I'll try to be better with my updates.

Also, if there's something that I can improve on, please, let me know! I hope to be an author someday, so anything that you tell me will help!

Now! Review!


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